What The Hell Is Wrong With “200 Million Mumus”? By Bayo Oluwasanmi

In response to an article written some years ago by Okey Ndibe, Lagbaja the Afrobeat sensation, whose real name is Bisade Ologunde, defines and explains Mumu as “(a) The mumu people they “lead” are no different from their mumu “leaders” in character. “(b) The mumu people are gullible, superstitious and naive.” “(c) There are no consequences for criminal acts if you belong to the right group.” “(d) These mumus never demand accountability from their 'leaders.” “(e) The mumus expect their rulers to loot or would otherwise consider them foolish.” Mumu is a Yoruba word meaning a fool, a buffoon, a person susceptible to scams and other forms of trickery.


Fela, the musical genius, the iconic rebel, and agent provocateur released “Zombie” in 1976. Zombie is portrayed in the song as who does whatever he's told unthinkingly. Zombie aptly describes the apathy, docility, and blind following of Nigeria's corrupt ruling elite by poor Nigerians. “Zombie no go think, unless you tell them to think,” says Fela in the song.

In 1977, he released “Suffering and Smiling.” Fela says despite poverty, pain, torture, and hopelessness foisted on Nigerians by their elected representatives, they keep on smiling. Their consolation, says Fela, lies in the rewards awaiting them in the afterlife as preached by their pastors, though the pastors live lavish lives and enjoy their pleasures here on earth.

In the 1980s, Fela released “Suffer Head” must go. Fela vividly captures the living condition of poor Nigerians in the slums how “ten people sleep inside one small room.” As for Nigeria's transportation woes, he said “my people are packed inside buses like sardines.” On basic amenities: “Water nko o … E-no dey, … Light nko o E- no dey,… Food nko o.. E-no dey, House nko o … E-no dey...”

Not too long ago, US President Trump refers to Africa countries as “shithole” and describes President Muhammadu Buhari as “lifeless.” Former Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings laments that “Nigerians are still in love with their oppressors.” In my recent articles I refer to Nigerians who keep on supporting and celebrating their oppressors as morons.

It is against this backdrop that one can surmise that names given by Lagbaja, Fela, Trump, and my humble self to the suffering and smiling Nigerians perfectly fit them given the riotous jubilation that greeted the nomination of Abubakar Atiku as the PayDayPay (PDP) presidential nominee. No sooner Atiku bought the PDP nomination than the Zombies, Suffer Heads, Mumus, and Morons, went viral on the social media hailing Atiku as the resurrected messiah that would deliver them from Atiku and octogenarian clueless Buhari.

How can Beelzebub cast out Beelzebub? How can Atiku and Buhari fight corruption when they are neck deep in corruption and surrounded by the Bukola Mesujamba Sarakis, the Dino Melayes, the Ike Ekweremadus, and other corrupt titans in Aso Rock? How can the blind lead the sighted? What's Atiku's track record? In all his years in public office, what has Atiku done for Nigerians? As deputy director of Customs for over 20 years, what innovations did he bring to Customs? The Board of Governors of his American University of Nigeria in Yola reads like the Board of Trustees of American University based in the US. The academic staff of the university reveals same. We should not forget the bribery Atiku took from the disgraced US Congressman Jefferson Davis.

With Atiku as the PDP nominee, the Zombies, Mumus, Suffer Heads, and Morons completely forget or ignore 16 years of unprecedented corruption of PDP government that really canonized Nigeria as “shithole” nation. It baffles me why these Zombies, Mumus, Suffer Heads, and Morons are angry and furious whenever we call them such names knowing fully well that they behave and act like the names suggest. And what’s more, they're still in love with their oppressors with total surrender and submission as slaves.

The 200 Mumus made it possible and easy for the tiny group of oppressors to manipulate them into accepting the slavery exploitative situation which leads to their subjugation and servitude. They have been mentally shackled by the manipulative control of their oppressors through their own connivance and collusion.. Why is it that the Mumus keep on electing the same incompetent, same oppressors and same old dumb rulers into office? Why is it that Zombies are in love with the same people that are responsible for their calamity?

It’s only in Nigeria you’ll find citizens who are denied  basic necessities of life: water, electricity, good roads, good schools, infrastructures, hospitals, safety and security, public transportation, housing, jobs, pensions, living wage, peace, progress, and prosperity and still hailing and applauding the evil perpetrators and even vote for them. The children and families of the oppressors are far removed from the grinding poverty that the suffering and smiling Zombies contend with every day. Majority of the Suffer Heads have no place to live, no job, no future, and no life. Yet, they are attracted to their tormentors like bees to honey. The Mumus now constitute clear and present danger to themselves more than their oppressors. The question then is: What the hell is wrong with “200 Million Mumus”?

The presidential race is crowded with candidates. The choice of Mumus will determine whether they'll continue to suffer and smile and lick their self inflicted wounds. Let's go there!

bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com